What a lovely Sunday afternoon...the sun is hot as I sit here on the patio and enjoy my first African beer since arriving - the Nile Special. Good ol 500ml bottle of 5.6% for only a dollar.

It was a busy weekend with birthdays, dinner parties and long walks. I explored one day by myself and got lost as I walked the unfamiliar red dirt roads. We are living in Kansanga, a neighborhood with gated properties, watch dogs and servants/guards/house help, while your neighbor might be a family living in the dirt with corrugated metal, boxes and old wood pieces as their home, no bigger than a small bathroom. The kids play in swampy gutters, half clothed and filthy while the mom trims matoke to feed the empty bellies. Today I witnessed a young girl carrying her little brother who was missing all the skin on his legs.  She left him on the corner of a busy downtown street and went begging as he sat there helplessly. My stomach flipped knowing it won't be the last time I see such a thing as it is very common to see orphans and mangled bodies begging for help. It has been known that kids will actually mutilate themselves in order to receive greater donations.  I feel like royalty.

This morning was the first time I've gone to church in...oh I dunno....a decade? The church is called Watoto and I notice it is actually on my map below. I didn't plan on going but wanted to make the early morning trip with Terri downtown to check out the scene. Once there I felt quite unsafe to walk the hectic streets alone and decided that hey, this is going to be a great experience that I don't want to miss out on. I was really looking forward to the music and it sure didn't disappoint. It began with a full band and choir of actually really catchy music that everyone danced and sang to. The vibe was so powerful that even I was clapping and dancing. We sat second row on the balcony of a church aka theatre that fit at least over 300-400 people.The minister asked everyone to stand who was there for the first time and I looked around to notice terri and I were the only Mzungus/white people. She has been going every Sunday so I was to stand alone in sight of hundreds of Ugandans and they welcomed and prayed for me. It was really special and I felt a little embaressed but also very comforted by the good spirits. I explained to Terri after the service that it's hard to understand why people think Africans are so dangerous when pretty much all of them attend church and believe so strongly of a greater power that protects and cares for them. A line I recall from the preacher was, "People do not care what you know until they know how much you care". The people have so much faith because of their conditions. At one point we were all asked to hold someone beside you and pray. Terri prayed for me and Uganda and the people and tears began streaming my face uncontrollably. It wasn't the last time we cried during the ceremony. I didn't realize religion had such an impact on my being and I am very grateful for the experience.

I also had my first boda ride today. There are two forms of taxis (legally), bodas (motorcycles) and matatus (jam packed mini buses). After a bit of downtown shopping we hopped on a boda and road home. I almost bounced off the back since there were three of us plus a shopping bag on a motorcycle maneuvering through nonsense traffic, pot holes and uneven roads. Definitely worth the dollar. The Ugandans have a joke that goes "You always know a drunk driver, because he drives straight." mhmmm so true...think about it....

Work starts tomorrow and I am very excited to make some seriously needed improvements in the kitchen. We will also be moving out of our palace tomorrow so it should be an eventful week as there will be many changes.

I found a little soccer player just up the road who sells avocadoes for 30 cents and they are about the length of my forearm. Oh ya...gotta love the cheap produce. Avocadoes and tomatoes have already become my staple meal.

Looking forward to what comes next....